In a single session, it said, shisha smokers can inhale smoke of 100 or more cigarettes.

SMOKE

“Cigarette smokers typically take eight to 12 cigarettes with a 40 to 75 millimetre puffs and inhaled 0.5 to 0.6 litres of smoke unlike shisha smoking sessions which typically last 20 to 80 minutes, during which the smoker may take 50 to 200 puffs which range from about 0.15 to 1 litre each,” it said.

Shisha smoking has become increasingly popular among young people in Africa, including in Kenya.

It goes by several names including hookah tobacco, maassel, narghile and argileh and comes in several flavours including fruity, minty, rich and creamy.

The highly toxic tobacco substance is smoked using a hookah (waterpipe).

The smoke exposes the user to the addictive chemical nicotine as well as tar, carbon monoxide and heavy metals such as arsenic and lead.

HEART

People are drawn to it for being ‘cool’, with patrons flocking to shisha parlours saying it is harmless.

A common belief is that the risks of tobacco are reduced since it is purified as it passes through the water.

On the contrary, WHO insists that even after it has been passed through water, the smoke produced contains high levels of toxic compounds— including carbon monoxide, heavy metals and cancer-causing chemicals.

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